Many conventional drill presses include integral laser alignment systems that are installed at the factory when the drill press is manufactured. Such systems generate a laser crosshair that is aligned with the drill bit of the machine so that a hole may be more accurately drilled in a workpiece mounted on the drill press. Although such built-in laser alignment systems are generally accurate and easy to adjust, repairing and/or replacing them can be complicated and expensive because the alignment system is integrated with the drill press. Moreover, many older, simpler and/or less sophisticated drill press machines lack any type of laser alignment system whatsoever.
A number of aftermarket, add on and attachment laser kits have been introduced for drill presses. However, these products tend to exhibit various shortcomings. They are generally fairly flimsy and can be difficult to adjust so that the laser crosshair is accurately aligned with the drill bit. In most cases, the drill press operator must perform repeated intermittent adjustments of the system to obtain an accurate laser crosshair. Between each adjustment, the operator must inspect accuracy of the crosshair and perform additional fine tuning adjustments if needed. This can be extremely time consuming and tedious. In addition, it can be difficult to maintain the laser crosshairs at an accurate drill bit alignment when the height of the drill press table or workpiece is changed. The accuracy of conventional add-on or aftermarket laser alignment systems also tends to be easily disrupted when the drill press is operated and machine vibrations are transmitted to the laser attachment. The laser crosshairs are apt to drift off-center. The relatively flimsy, non-rugged construction of most existing products contributes to this problem. In addition, conventional aftermarket laser systems are not optimally universal and cannot be used with all drill presses.